A new Web site created by a UF freshman aims to help students navigate their most-visited UF sites by grouping links on one customized Gators home page.
Johnny Jackson launched www.iSwamp.net on Jan. 16, providing quick links to UF and community resources, local and national newspapers, sports sites and social networking sites on a single Web page for UF students.
The site has averaged about 200 to 300 visits a day since its debut, and about 50 students have already created accounts with iSwamp, he said.
He said www.iTarheel.com, the University of North Carolina site that iSwamp is modeled after, was around for a year before it started attracting nearly 20,000 hits a day.
Jackson said he expects his site to gain popularity soon.
"We're always looking to improve on it," he said. "We want the Gators to tell us what they want."
Alex Musser, a UF biology junior, took the photographs of common UF landmarks that appear on the page, such as Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and Reitz Union Amphitheatre.
Musser said he likes that users can customize their own links on the page. He added links of his online banking service and car forums.
"One of my favorite links is the Gator-1 Central because my vending account has been out of money for a very long time," he said.
Emily Plank, a UF freshman, set iSwamp as her homepage on Jan. 16. Plank said she personalized her page with links to the sites of her hometown newspaper and sorority.
She said the page helps her locate all of the resources she regularly uses, such as TutoringZone, ISIS, movie times and the UF basketball ticket lottery.
Jackson said he and Brandon Clark, the UNC student who created iTarheel.com, have developed similar sites for Florida State University, Appalachian State University and North Carolina State University.
Creating sites such as iSwamp is a budding business for Jackson, but he said he has not reaped any benefits yet.
"It's always been a hobby for me, so I'd probably do it without pay anyways," Jackson said.
